Big day for Garve play area

CHILDREN in a remote Ross-shire community have a brand new state-of-the-art play park after four years of meticulous planning and hard work.

Sharon Wright, a local mother-of-three and chairwoman of Wyvis Natural Playpark Group who was behind the Wyvis Natural Play Park project, admitted: "I never thought I’d see this day! From concept to completion has taken four long years!"

The play area, built within natural forest and linked to the spectacular two-mile circular walk from Silverbridge to Little Garve, includes a large amount of untouched woodland where children can run free, build dens, play hide and seek or wherever their imagination takes them.

She was joined at the opening event by the children of nearby Strathgarve Primary School, local residents, representatives from Eneco, Lochluichart Community Trust and Forestry Commission Scotland.

The ribbon was cut and the park officially opened by Lady Eliza Leslie Melville of Lochluichart Estate and four-year-old Isla Stewart from the local nursery.

Sharon thanked Eneco and the Lochluichart Community Trust who funded the project, Hazel MacLean and her team from the Forestry Commission for their huge contribution and Gordan Mackenzie, a friend and neighbour, who had donated his time and machinery to part of the ground work.

The children then went to play in the park with the added excitement of hunting for sweets and lollipops hidden amongst the equipment and later receiving ice creams.